Thomas Collins had an explanation for sending shots out of Buffs Park on Saturday – he was desperate to score his first hat-trick in four years.
The Kilwinning Rangers striker had two goals to his name by the interval as his side bossed Bonnyton Thistle in their West of Scotland League Premier Division encounter.
But the former Beith ace badly wanted to make it a treble and ended up snatching at chances and shooting on sight after the break.
In the end, Collins achieved his aim with an emphatic finish into the roof of the net five minutes from time to complete a resounding 4-0 victory.
"You take any goals as a striker and I'm hungry to score all the time," he told Ayrshire Football News afterwards. "I was really delighted to get a hat-trick and the victory.
"That's three wins in a row for the first time since the start of the season so that's positive – and it's my first hat-trick since the first game of 2018 for Beith so really happy with that.
"It's always something in a striker's mind; when you get two goals, you want to get a hat-trick. It maybe showed in a few of my second-half finishes when I had a couple over the fence and one off the post!
"But I managed to show a bit of composure at the end when I brought one inside and finished it with my left foot which is my weaker foot. It was actually a hat-trick with my left foot so I'm pleased about that."
Buffs took control early on when Collins slotted home the opener but the goal hero was full of praise for the Kilmarnock-based opponents as he also enjoyed Buffs putting up the shutters.
"The early goal was crucial," he said. "Bonnyton haven't picked up as many points as they would have liked but they are not a bad side.
"They like to play football, they are young, they are enthusiastic and have a very good, experienced coach in Alan Robertson.
"Once we got the second and third goals, it became a case of how many we could get but the really pleasing thing for me was the clean sheet. I take pleasure in the three points and three goals, but also that."
Kilwinning are up to third place in the table ahead of this weekend's trip to face Hurlford United and Collins isn't throwing in the towel on a late push for silverware.
He added: "We set out at the start of the season to try and win the league. We went on a bit of a barren run which meant we maybe dropped out of that a little bit.
"But stranger things have happened. I won a league at Beith when we looked right out of it. We just need to keep putting wins together then it puts the pressure on the teams above us."
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